ALBANIA
HEADING TO SHKODER
Entering Albania is EZ PZ - they just wave Jo and me through! The first thing I notice when we enter Albania is wide shoulders on the road!!! This is great! I also notice lots of car washes, and plant nurseries with yard decorations, on our route. The terrain here is gently undulating and I can stay in high gear most of the day.
SHKODER
After we settle into the great vibe at Scodrinon Hostel in Shkoder, I go exploring. I like the photo where I can see many spires from one spot: a castle tower, a mosque, a church spire, and a modern sculpture - each with their own historical timeline. Rob, our hostel’s great manager, recommends Restaurant Puri for dinner. They have local dishes at good prices with great vegetarian options. Breakfast at the hostel is local bread, cheese with homemade jam, and eggs. One can even request a shot of Raki (a spirit made from fermented and distilled fruits) with coffee! At the end of the day, we hang out with the other hostelers and enjoy the view of terracotta tile roofs, towers, domes and spires from our rooftop terrace.
TO THE BLUE EYE
Jo and I learn that our hostel arranges for a van to take groups to Theth, where there is fantastic hiking. We connect with other hostelers who signed up: Uvi (pictured next to me) from Latvia, mighty Sebastian from Germany, decorated Gabriele from Italy (Yes! same spelling as my name), Simone from Germany, and Tony from India.
The van drops us off at a trailhead with the pilgrim red and white marking. It is so misty that we can only see a short distance ahead on the trail. Later it clears up and we realize how far up we are, and how far down we still need to go. The steep, forest covered mountain view is breathtaking!
At times the trail is difficult to follow so we end up doing some backtracking. It’s very steep in places and sometimes slippery. I slip several times and one time my knee ends up folding back at a bad angle. The total trail is 5 miles, and it’s constant descending for 3,860’. It’s hard on the knees and we are very happy when, we take a break before crossing the stream, and Sebastian passes around a bottle of Raki. He has his backpack packing priorities straight!
After we cross the nice cold water, we arrive at the Blue Eye waterfall. It is one of Albania’s most famous tourist attractions and is notable for its extremely clear turquoise waters. The Blue Eye is more than 50 meters deep and resembles a blue eye. Uvi is brave and goes in for a swim! We laugh a lot and feel a sense of comradery. We even start a Whats App group called Red Panties (That’s another story!).
THETH
The Rupa Guesthouse in Theth was recommended to me by a hosteler in Mostar, so Jo and I book a room. For dinner, they serve bean soup with homemade bread, warm potatoes and an assortment of cold offerings. The kitchen is a humble out building. The dining room has two big tables that, on this evening, are filled with guests and lively conversation. This is what I love about hostels… we sit down as strangers and depart as friends!
SWEET COLIN
The next day, the team hikes to Vabone. Unfortunately, I don’t join them as I’ve learned when I get an injury, it heals better with rest. I slather my knee with Arnica gel, wear a copper knee brace, and try to elevate it when possible. Though I am not on the trail, I do get fantastic views from the bus on the many switchbacks on my return to Shkoder.
With my unexpected extra day in Shkoder I visit the National Museum of Photography. Down the street is the Ebu Bekr mosque which has a nice white fence around the garden, and a starving white dog inside the grounds.
There is food on the sidewalk outside the fence, and other dogs with full bellies lounging around. They growl at the white dog when he comes close to get some food outside the fence. I chase them off, and encourage the white dog to slip through the fence since he is so skinny. I realize that the white dog lives in the garden and is afraid of other dogs and people. I immediately go to the grocery store and pick up healthy food: dry and wet food, eggs, tuna in water, kefir and I get the white dog his own bowl.
Kyla and Uvi, from the hostel, come with me for his evening feeding. Kyla names white dog ‘Colin’. Chris joins us for the next feeding and Kyla who works at the hostel (in photo with Rob) agrees to take for responsibility Colin’s feedings. Colin is very sweet and looks so appreciative!
Chris contacts the local animal clinic, as all street dogs in Shkoder are tagged and are usually cared for by locals. The street dogs do all look healthy… except for Colin. We agree that Colin should be checked and tagged, and the clinic picks him up and tests him. We learn that sadly Colin has Leishmania, which is a contagious disease for dogs and humans, and leads to a painful death for dogs.
As Kyla said, this was ‘bittersweet’ - sweet that Colin had this special time to receive love, before sadly passing. Special thanks to Kyla, Chris and Uvi who let Colin know he was cared for.
TIRANE TO LUNDER
The last two bicycling days in Albania are focused on getting to Lunder, south of Tirane, where we will catch a bus to Istanbul.
The first day is on a lovely country road. People here are friendly and helpful. A woman is out in the cornfield, checking the recently harvested corn - I shout “Hello!” and she stops and waves. Farther on, another woman is hauling manure with a pitchfork. I shout “Hello!” again and she too, smiles and waves. At an intersection, Jo and I stop to take photos. A farmer going by on his tractor stops, steps our of his tractor, asks us where we’re going, and then points in the right direction. We didn’t ask for help, but people here are so kind, and everyone smiles and waves.
Jo and I treat ourselves to one luxury accommodation before leaving the Balkans at: Lahuta e Vjeter Agroturizëm, an agritourism place near the town of Lac. It was over the top with an estate like building, huge dining room and delicious food - I had arugula salad and orange cake for dessert. Breakfast on the veranda offered more treats.
In Lunder, we stay at a hotel by the bus station, and our time in Albania wraps up with Jo finding us a great deal on bus tickets - 50 euro per person and they don’t charge us extra for our bikes and bags.
We spend 6 nights in Albania with 77 miles of bicycling and over 1,700 feet of climbing.
We are off the bikes and on the bus to Istanbul!